Ballade de Shine
by TenebrisLux
Summary: In a world full of darkness and tainted heroes, who among them can say that they tried to save the innocent? Who among them have used their tainted minds, and tainted powers, for good, instead of evil? When the world is covered in darkness, and slowly falling apart, even a small glimmer, shine, or speck of light, no matter where the origin, makes all the difference.
1. Chapter 1

Dawn Glimmer slowly slipped out of the comfortable bed that she was laying in, shaking out her long bright green mane and stepping onto the cold wooden floor. She walked over to the little bedside table and tilted her head sideways, her unicorn horn glowing an icy blue roughly the same color as her coat, as the small coffee machine sitting on the table took on the same cold blue glow and sputtered to life; shaking and shooting out puffs of steam as it tried to warm up in the cold temperature. She put a small foam cup under the shivering coffee machine and walked over to a small mirror at head level, using her magic to levitate a blue brush over to her. She tilted her head back as she started to slowly brush out the small tangles in her long mane,

"One, two, three, four…" She counted aloud in time to her brushing, occasionally tilting her head to a different angle to brush a different part of her cold blue mane. Her voice was smooth and accented, like a bow slowly drawing over a string on a violin, melodious.

"Ninety-Nine, one hundred," She paused and floated the brush back to its hiding place, a small saddlebag on the floor next to the bag, "Ah, much better." She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, shifting around in different poses, making her straight mane cover the left side of her face, accentuating her strikingly turquoise eyes. "What a pretty pony. " She calmly enunciated, closing her eyes and nodding her head as she finished her sentence. Dawn sniffed the air as the enchanting aroma of coffee filled the air. She then turned away from the mirror and with a brief glow of light blue magic, flicked the switch on the coffee machine off and then levitated the steaming cup over to her lips, pausing to close her eyes before taking a light sip.

Dawn suddenly opened her eyes wide with a light sputter, making a few drops off the hot coffee spill out of the cup onto the floor, making small dark blotches. She let out an almost primal growl as she used magic to thrust the cup of coffee away from her. "H-Hot! How could anypony drink something so disgusting?" She asked aloud as she used magic to make the steaming cup glow blue, the air around it glowing with frost. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh as frost grew slowly over the top of the faintly-steaming coffee, frost covering the outside of the cup, fog spilling out and disappearing in the air. "Much, much better." She purred aloud as she brought the now-iced cup to her lips again and took a slow drink, this time greedily gulping the cold liquid down without a second thought.

After Dawn had finished drinking the cup of cold coffee she had crumpled it up slowly and lazily tossed it into the small wastebasket in the corner of the room, humming under her breath as she did so. She walked away from the coffee machine and looked down at the stains of coffee on the floor with a grimace, "Useless waste. 'Tis a shame indeed." She used magic to sweep a cloth from the washroom to wipe it off the floor, setting the cloth back into the washroom afterwards. She then took her saddlebags out from under the small bed and laid them out on the bed, opening them up to reveal the brush from earlier, two small books; one a paperback book, the spine reading "A Traveler's Guide to Northern Equestria." The over book was a small leather bound book, probably a journal of some sort. The other saddle bag, which was connected to the first, contained a small worn black cloth bag full of shiny gold coins. It also had a small dark blue dagger, sheathed in dark worn leather.

"Everything seems to be in order, I am thoroughly glad I did not take out any of my belongings." She mused as she took a scathing look at the room, eyes glancing over the coffee machine, the worn walls, and the doorway leading to the washroom with a sink and a bathtub in it. She then used magic to levitate the saddlebags onto her back, locking straps into place around her stomach and hind legs to prevent the bags from moving at all. She faced the door and smiled as it unlocked with a click and glowed bright blue, slowly creaking open as she walked out of the small room.

Dawn Glimmer closed the door behind her and locked it with another click; she then walked down the hallway of the small hotel. She soon reached the front desk in the main room of the hotel, looking at the receptionist with a smile, "Thank you for your services." She said with a nod.

"Oh thank you," The dark brown Pegasus said with a smile in return, "Not many ponies spend time at our hotel anymore, we're very glad you chose us!" The female receptionist nodded quickly, "Is that all you want ma'am?" She asked.

"No thank you, that's all that I need." Dawn replied smoothly smiling as she walked out of the hotel lobby and into the street of Manhattan. She closed the glass door behind her and let a sneer slide over her face, "Hah, damn shorn wing, at least she wasn't rude." She shook her head and started walking down the street, soon coming into a main avenue, ponies shuffling quickly about, they had places to be, appointments to make. That's city life for you, after all.

As she slowly walked down the street she noticed how the ponies traveling the other way noticed her, and apparently went out of their ways to not bump into her. "My, the city seems to have learned from the last time I was here." She thought to herself with a gentle chuckle as she continued to walk, enjoying the affects her presence had on other ponies. She slowly bobbed her head to an invisible song, smiling to herself as she kept walking.

After walking for a short amount of time, Dawn had come to the end of Manehattan, stone road leading out of town that she remembered turned into dirt about a mile out. She kept following the stone road, humming to herself softly. She turned around and looked back at the bustling city, seeing ponies everywhere, walking, talking, not even caring about anything but themselves. She smirked at the thought and started walking, not even caring about what happened in the city she just left behind. Manehattan held a past that she wanted to leave behind, for good.

Dawn Glimmer had been walking for about an hour now; the paved road had led her out from Manehattan, into an icy taiga. She had observed the small changes from the plains that she was in, small amounts of snow on the ground, the air with more chill, until the plains had morphed into the taiga she was in; a frozen forest with dozens of small hills. She smiled to herself as she noticed rabbits and other small animals being chased by foxes, "Predators usually win, good job." She let out a little laugh and nodded. She continued to walk past what seemed like endless trees, and soft snow, until she saw a frozen over sign, concealed by ice. "Hosston, five miles, I've been making good time." She mused quietly to herself, nodding once at the end of her sentence.

Dawn looked around suddenly at a slight rustling in the bushes around her; she looked over her shoulder first, and then left to right. She let out a sigh and continued trotting forward, ignoring the small rustles in the bushes. Dawn hummed a melody to herself and bobbed her head softly, making her long straight mane bounce softly. "But I still wake up, I still see your ghost. Oh Sol, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh… What do I stand for? What do I stand for..? Most nights, I just don't know anymore…" She let the words fade out while she continued to bob her head while she walked, "I just don't know." She said softly, looking down while walking.

She suddenly tensed up when a bush rustled directly in front of her, louder than the rest. She took a slow step back, "Hello? Who's there?" She let out a small gasp when a pony stumbled out of the bush; he was male, with a grey mane, and a light brown coat, his cutie mark was a gear inside of a small box. He struggled forward towards Dawn before falling over, coughing out a spray of bloody mist. He continued to move forward to a shocked Dawn, before grabbing her right foreleg tightly, staining her coat with his blood.

"T-They're c-coming," He coughed again, "They're i-in the forest," He grabbed her foreleg tighter and looked into her eyes, his light brown eyes burning into her own icy blue, "Tell Mauve she was r-right." His grip on her foreleg loosened, and he fell forward into her, his bloodied mane staining her chest. Dawn stood still for a moment, blood dripping down her chest, the stallion's faintly warm body resting against her. Then she quivered, and took a step back, pushing the body away from her. She took deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling deeply,

"I-I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay. A pony just died, that's no reason to faint. Happens all the time." She tried to reassure herself, laughing shakily before letting out a dry heave. She paled and coughed before spitting onto the ground. She continued to take deep breathes, before steeling herself. She gently used her magic to levitate the stallion's corpse to the side of the path, and then took another deep breath as her horn grew brighter and closed her eyes as the corpse burst into flames, filling the air with the acrid sent of burning flesh.

She closed her eyes and spoke aloud, with practiced ease, "May your soul reach Valhalla. Unnamed friend, may you dine amongst the kings of old, and the Valkyries." She opened her eyes suddenly, her horn sparking with effort as the flames suddenly dimmed, wrapping around the body until they merged together, transmuting into solid grey stone. Then, with a flick of her horn, the rock shattered, sending shrapnel in all directions. Dawn winced as a few of the sharp stones embedded themselves into her side, "Ouch." She muttered softly. She looked down and spit out to the side, her spit slightly tinted red.

Dawn slowly made her way down the dirt path, not caring about the rustles in the bushes, the burning bright eyes she knew were real, or the muted hushed whispers she knew were really there. She just ignored it all; she didn't want to have to deal with it right now. She let out a shaky breath and smiled when she noticed the trees thinning out, and being replaced by just tagged stumps, and light smoke up ahead. "F-Finally, I was starting to get worried." She said to herself aloud. Dawn steeled herself and casted a simple cleaning spell on herself, cleaning the blood off of her coat and mane. She took a breath and stood taller, straightening out her lithe body.

Dawn glimmer walked into the iced town of Hosston. She had her head held high; her body pose was that of arrogance. She slowly walked past a few Earth ponies and Pegasi, the Pegasi were buzzing around in the sky, pushing around clouds with their innate magic, and the earth ponies were just walking about calmly, some were doing menial labor, but a few were just lazing about. She walked to a small building with a sign swinging slowly outside, with a picture of a bed next to a bottle. Apparently a bar and hotel, perfect.

Dawn Glimmer walked inside and used her magic to pull out a few gold bits that she then threw onto the bar, "There's enough for a night I think, keep the change." She said loudly as she walked past the bartender, who was now giving her a stunned look as she walked past him. She opened the first door that she came to, then opened the door after that, coming into a unoccupied room. She took off her saddle bags and used her magic to throw the connected bags to the floor. With a loud sigh she jumped onto the bed and wrapped the thick blanket around her, "That's enough traveling for one day." She sighed and slowly drifted off to sleep, thinking of the actions to come.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since the young Dawn Glimmer had returned from her long program at Canterlot to find that her small, modest house had been abandoned. She had desperately searched for her parents, crying out for them. Alas, she did not find them. They had fled the nest, leaving the poor young filly to care for herself. She had traveled throughout the whole of Manehattan, trying to find her mother and father. Dawn had called upon the feeble amounts of tracking magic that she knew, but to no succession.

Dawn Glimmer was lying down on a small and worn bedroll, in the somewhat small living room of her family home. The room was dark except for a small blue fire that was smokeless and crackling peacefully in a corner, surrounded by stones to keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the wooden floor. Above the fire was a small stick, held up by a few other sticks wrapped in wire, a makeshift rotisserie. Close to the fire was a small loaf of bread wrapped in a layer of green leaves, the bread peeking out from underneath. In the room there were various supplies scattered around; small bottles of spices and cooking supplies. Next to the fire, in the corner closest divided by the middle of the room, was Dawn Glimmer.

The smallish rectangular living room was bear of furniture and ornamentation, just a blank empty room except for Dawn's belongings strewn about the room. In the living room, there were two doors, the door closest to Dawn and her belongings, was slightly open. The other door, however, was shut. Leading to the closed door were small splatters of dried liquid, and on the door was the same liquid. There were small scuffs of the same colored stuff here and there throughout the room, but otherwise the room was devoid of its presence.

Dawn's sleeping body shifted gently on top of the discolored bedroll, which has been visibly repaired many times. Partially hidden next to the bedroll is a normal saddlebag, with elastic cords to wrap around the torso. The bag was open, with object handles poking out of the opening at the tops.

Dawn slowly shifted again, letting out a yawn as she stretched her spine out, eliciting cracks and pops as she rolled onto her hooves. She shook out her light green mane, which complemented her stunning ice blue eyes. Her mane was long from the time spent in her family home, she feared leaving her home, for what would become while the owner was gone…

Dawn Glimmer, the unicorn mage, a young prodigy bent on conquering all forms of magic. After a small scuffle in a small public school in Manehattan, she had unleashed her magic for the first time. She had accidentally frozen a few other students in magical explosion of energy. She soon after, had been contacted by a rather uppity mage from Canterlot.

The mage had commented on her unusual affinity for the magical fields around her, which explained the aptitude of the flash freezing spell. She then had gone on about how Celestia would personally pay for a scholarship after she had done an examination. She had been given a few days to pack her belongings, and then they would summon her to the outskirts of the city, before transporting her to Canterlot.

The days leading up to her departure were spent with general merry making, and then stressing. Usually in that order. Dawn spent much time with her loved parents Stella Aurora, and Lunar Agnitio. After they had used up their days, the young scholar packed the little objects she found worthy of taking with her, and left.

When Dawn had arrived in Canterlot, she was whisked to the palace, her escorts wanting to go home and relax after the long journey. She was led to a personal room, filled with little baubles and banners baring the royal sun, constant reminders of who's in charge. When the guards had left her, she started unpacking and placing her things about the room, various books, pictures, and writing supplies; little else was worthy of bringing.

As it was towards the evening hours on the linear scale of things, Dawn was getting tired, and as thus, she decided to go to sleep. That night, she experienced the wonder that is Canterlot palace bedding.

The next morning, she started her studies. She delved into the world of magic, studying everything and anything that was even loosely related to magic; science, physics, mathematics. There was nothing that she wouldn't study. She didn't even study spells, like the other students did. She used all her time studying the theory behind the spells, what made them work and tick. She became adept at spell theory, as a master pianist would be able to easily weave chords and complex melodies with but the simplest of thoughts, Dawn could weave and overlap spells, making up spells off the top of her head which adjusted already existent spells. She could create a spell for just about anything with some time to think about the process behind it. There was even a rumored way to divide your mind into two different parts, both capable of doing different things at the same time, but not things that cannot be separated. There was even a rumor that someone with enough mental capacity for the strain could do three! Oh, Dawn wished for the day when she could do that, so she could effortlessly put spells together.

Celestia had provided her with all the books she could ever read! What with her access to the royal library, and a lifetime membership there. Dawn used this privilege so often; one would be hard-pressed to not call it abuse! She even had access to the restricted section, but she found herself not even going into that dusty room, it hardly ever got used after all.

When the mage overseeing Dawn's curriculum found out about all of the progress that she had made, he tasked her with creating a useful, yet practical spell. It had to be completely unique, it could draw on other ideas, but it could not just be an altered spell.

After a few weeks of study and dedication to this new project, Dawn developed a perfectly unique spell, fitting into the guidelines masterfully. She created a special form of mage light, which reflected certain colors, and absorbed others, powering itself. The special thing was, it had a proximity radar, whenever the caster, or someone the caster had marked, approached the dim magelight, it would flare brightly and settle down. This way, it would save energy when no one was around, but would still serve the purpose of a light.

The mage, Enchiridion, was surprised. He had taken Dawn for a smart filly, but one that lacked initiative and ambition, seeing as she rarely went outside of the library or her room, while the other students actively looked for help from the mages. The tutor, proud of one of his charges, rewarded her with words, and a set of enchanted robes. For learning purposes of course.

After this Dawn started competing almost, it seemed like she was trying to best her peers in academic combat, but as if she was holding back. She then systematically started reading all the books in the library, regardless of subject. A book, then that shelf, starting at the bottom until she had read that entire bookshelf, she did this mass reading in sections, going to specific places and subjects in the library. It took her months to finish one of the four quadrants the library was divided into, but her knowledge had grown.

More time had passed, and Dawn had read most of the library, excluding the restricted section. Yes she would skip books occasionally, but only those that she felt had little value in her pursuit of knowledge, such has romance novels, and foal books. When she had exhausted most of the books in the royal library, it was undeniable to her that she would need to read the books in the restricted section, for knowledge and nothing else.

Thus began her third course under Celestia and the talented, but haughty and cowardly mages. As Dawn grew older, so did her tastes, she found herself wondering things she never cared about before, and wanting to know all of the magic in the restricted section, which she had again, put off.

As she slowly approached her fourth and final term in Canterlot, she discovered a hidden room, a small alcove in the library behind one of the old stoneworks in the lesser used parts. As she looked through the dusty stone room, rummaging in the large desk and drawers that were the only thing in the room, she made mental tabs on everything she saw.

Inside of the desk, was one thing; a book, a small, old, leather bound book. The sole pony in the room took the book out of the desk, and placed it on the cold and dusty wooden top, unlatching the book, and opening it to the first page.

She was amazed. It was filled with spells that she had never even heard of! She was in paradise as she read, taking mental notes on each page and filing them away in the archive of her mind. She knew that the spells and rituals would come in handy later, even if she didn't know what any of the incantations did. She would find out.

Dawn slowly stretched out her tight muscles. She winces as her horn let out a bright spark and the bedroll smoothed out before her, folding itself neatly up against the wall in the corner of the room.

Dawn sighed and smacked her lips together, grimacing at the taste of sleep in her mouth. She walked over to the blue fire; now nothing but faintly flickering embers. Her horn started to glow as a look of calm concentration came over her, as the fire started to grow slowly. The fire grew calmly, casting light over the room, and warming Dawn's cold body.

She was content with the size it was at now, so she walked over, opening the southern door, into the living room. The room was for looks, it was just to go to the rest of the house. The living room had various pictures of Dawn and her parents, along with the doors leading to the outside world, which had a chair propped against it, you never know after all.

Dawn smiled as she went to the east side of the room, admiring all the pictures of her family, as tears filled her eyes. She shakily sat down on a stray pillow and took whispery breaths, closing her eyes as she tried to stop herself from shedding even a single tear.

"Come back," She whispered aloud, "I miss you, I need you… I don't know how to do this anymore…" She let out small breaths as she looked up at the many photographs, eyes filled with crystals. "This isn't worth, I mean, I. Just come back, please." She stuttered over her words as she sniffled into the large pillow she was now laying on.

She sighed and wiped her eyes, "Oh who am I talking to?" She asked herself pessimistically, "Nopony can hear me." She sighed deeply as she stood up and walked back into her camping room, before opening the door to the northern room, the scent of spices mingling with the air.

She walked into the dark room before closing the door behind her silently. She stayed in that room for unknown time, before she walked out, with a small smile on her face. She walked back out into the living room, standing before one of the partially open windows.

Dawn smiles has the first rays of her namesake started to slither through the blinds, smiling in wonder as the room was painted in splatterings of pink-gold light. She pranced about the room happily before throwing open the curtain, spraypainting the room in liquid light. She sat down on the pillow once again and looked outside at the leaves of the trees across the street, fluttering in the wind. Dawn smiled as nature laughed with her, wrapping her in the embrace of its beauty and washing away her worries.

Today would be a good day after all.


	3. Chapter 3

The western frontier town of Concord was a small, but peaceful place. It lied deep in the west, past Appleoosa and further south as well. Concord had been founded when settlers from Appleoosa had taken apple seeds and trees west; they had found a fertile area of land, against a cliff face. The cliff provided shelter from one side, along with minerals and abundant sources of underground water. There was a small road from Concord, to the top of the cliff, worn flat from constant plains wind. The top of the mountain had many different plants and fungi, which could be used to make home remedies and food.

The settlers had planted their apple trees and used the wood that they had brought with them to build a few small houses and buildings, using rocks from the area to stabilize. After a while, the settlers increased the size of the town, making sod houses for the occasional new faces trickling in.

Concord had only been around for a few months, but already had a large number of apple trees providing for the still small population, which worked hard to maintain and nurture the plants. There was much food and water to go around; untapped natural water sources fed the plants, providing them with the energy to grow.

The stoic Dawn Glimmer had fled west, hearing rumors of skeletal ponies, dark forces, and a hunter. Dawn had traveled on hoof west, weeks slowly bleeding into months as the lands metamorphosed from cold pine trees and snow of the north, to the wild and untamed deserts and plains of the wild West.

Dawn had found Concord after she ran from Appleoosa, the natives of the town chasing her out after a bad accident involving magefire. She had tried to stay and learn from the buffalo of the plains, but they were disgusted by her, and her 'black magic'. She had gone further west then, seeking sanctuary from the evil rumors following her from the north, and the bad reputation that magic had.

The cold blue-green pony known as Dawn Glimmer reclined peacefully in a wooden rocking chair, her eyes scanning an open book floating in front of her as she rocked back and forth. Her horn glowed with a faint blue light, enveloping the book floating in front of her. She would nod every once in a while and jot down something in a notepad on a table next to her, muttering quietly as she did so.

It had been a few days since Dawn had arrived in Concord, seeking her safe haven. The hardy settlers welcomed her with open arms, not asking questions about her past, or anything horrible like the other towns had. She then volunteered to be the town's only doctor, seeing as how the only other unicorn wasn't the smartest of sentient beings.

The townsponies had hailed her as a hero, her simple healing spells conquering most of the ailments and injuries that came from being a pioneer. Dawn however, felt as if she was cheating them. She wouldn't say it if she was asked, but she wasn't being challenged to help.

Dawn used magic to dog ear the page of the book that she was reading before she closed it and set it down on the wooden table.

"Well, in my own opinion, I think I've read enough." Dawn said to herself with an awkward smile as she climbed out of the chair. She opened up her notebook and quickly skimmed through the paragraphs and small bullets of neat, scratchy writing. She nodded once, "Yes that is a good amount of notes, I'll add to them tomorrow." She said as she closed the notebook before walking out of the door to the small room.

Dawn stepped outside into the dry heat, shuddering at the feel of the air as it quickly enveloped her body. A few ponies that were working on paving a central road greeted her warmly, Dawn waving back to them. She stepped down the brick steps of her home and started walking towards the visible mountainside.

"Miss Glimmer! Miss Glimmer!" A young brown cold called as he ran to her from the mountain. His coat was a chestnut brown, while his mane was stone grey. He ran up to Dawn and doubled over in front of her, panting and covered in sweat.

"Yes Stonewall?" Dawn asked nicely to the colt. She was used to foals acting this, so it was no surprise to her. She paused for a moment and looked back at the young male with a measured stare, "What happened Stonewall?"

Stonewall took a deep breath and winced at the words he was about to say, "The mind collapsed! Leaf tried to take out a big gem thing out of the wall and the tunnel collapsed!" He gasped loudly, taking in breaths, "He said to get you! The entrance is blocked and the miners are stuck!"

"Why didn't Leaf try to dig everypony out," Dawn yelled, "That idiot!" I thought I told him to not mess around with things like this!" She groaned as she started sprinting down towards the mountain face, dodging in between the few ponies on the street.

Dawn reached the mining site quickly, sprinting down to it. She gaped at the large pile of rocks and debris blocking what she knew to be the mining tunnel. She glared at an orange-red and brown unicorn, who was frantically running around and moving small rocks here and there.

Damnation Autumn Leaf! How many times to I have to tell you to not mess around in the mines! Or anything that doesn't concern you, for that matter!" She stepped forward quickly, Leaf wincing with each step she took towards him.

"I didn't mean to! That gem was just begging to be mined! We could have sold it for a high price! We could have built new buildings! Got new supplies for the town!" He winced at Dawn and took steps back, "I was just thinking for the good of the community!"

Dawn's horn started glowing icy blue as Leaf started glowing the same color, struggling as Dawn telekinetically picked him up. "Stop! R-Really Dawn! This isn't funny! I said I was sorry!" Leaf said fearfully as she struggled against invisible bonds.

Dawn used her magic to fling him into a pile of dirt, laughing as she did so, "Actually, I think it's hilarious! Now stay out of the way as I save the ponies you tried to kill!"

She started using her magic to pick up the rocks, adding heat to them as she did so. Dawn started to merge the semi-molten rocks back into the cliff face, getting rid of the debris efficiently. Dawn Threw the rest of the rocks out of the way, running down into the partially collapsed tunnel as she meticulously melted the loose rocks back into the crumbling walls, "Hello? Is anypony hurt?" She called out into the dark tunnels.

She cautiously walked through the blocked off cavern, looking for any signs of movement among the rocks. She winced as she saw a pony trapped under the rocks.

"Don't worry! I'll help get you out of th-"She promptly cut off as she noticed a slight sparkle under one of the fallen rocks. She walked over to it, ignoring the pained moans of the trapped miner as she carefully removed small pieces of limestone and quarts.

Dawn stared in awe as she removed the last rocks covering the gem. It was a huge blue diamond, lighter than a sapphire, but darker than a regular diamond. It had aureate streaks of impurities in it, beautiful veins of silver and gold running under the skin of the easily head sized roughly spherical gemstone.

Dawn Glimmer smiled to herself brightly, looking back at the trapped pony, she walked back over to him and smiled coldly, saying clearly in the silence of the cave, "I'm sorry, but you really can't know about this stone, or that I took it, so I'm afraid that I'll have to dispose of you, Sorry about that." She said the last words with mocking venom, picking up a large chip of granite that had a sharp pointed edge. She chuckled darkly and dropped it on the pony's head with her magic, ending his life with a dull 'thud' and a sick squish of blood.

Dawn winced as she walked back over to the gemstone, opening a magic null zone that could technically be used for infinite storage, but would constantly tax the user's magic and stamina as long as it was in use. She then the gen into this casually, closing the black rip in space without a second thought. Dawn looked out into the tunnel, casting a quick spell to detect heat; she learned that all the other few miners had been buried underneath the rubble, their faintly still hot bodies underneath tons of rocky debris.

"Such a tragedy! Oh desperaux! Such a disappointment!" She whined in a mock accent, accenting each syllable while sill expressing a feeling of mock sympathy. Dawn smiled once again to herself, her white teeth and cold blue eyes a chilling Cheshire in the darkness of the silent cave.

The next day, the entirety of the town of Concord had a funeral service for the few brave lives lost in the mining accident, words of sorrow were said, tears were said, and goodbyes were given to the poor souls lost to a terrible accident, caused by a single action of greed and stupidity. When the service was over, the crowd of mourners dispersed, and left to their respective homes and workplaces, even though many places were closed for the day, in memoriam.

The wooden door slammed shut as Dawn Glimmer hurriedly rushed through it. She quickly locked the three large deadbolts on the door before running to both sides of the door and closing the windows, casting the curtains over them, shadowing the room.

She looked around the small room anxiously, before telekinetically grabbing a few books off of the wooden table before pacing down the hallway opposite of the front door. She passed down two wooden doors in the short wooden hallway, the one on the left with beds for patients, and the door on the right full to the brim with various medical supplies and equipment.

At the end of the hallway there was a small square room, much like the first room except slightly bigger. The walls of the room were hidden by massive bookshelves that spanned the length of each wall, with the doorframe to the hallway splitting one bookshelf in half. Dawn plucked a few seemingly random books off the full shelves and opening a concealed door that was behind a thick sheet of heavy white cloth, hanging from the ceiling by small metal rings on a pole.

Dawn forcibly pushed her way through the heavy cloth and opened the door into the dark room, closing the door and locking behind her as she flicked her horn, motes of liquid fire lighting up the room brightly. The liquid fire was in a few oddly shaped glass jars of various sizes, each glass jar hanging by the ceiling by a thin dark metal chain.

The room was barren, except for a small trap door in the corner of the room, and a wooden desk, complete with a plush chair. Dawn set the large stack of books down on the table, groaning loudly as she realized too late that she had forgotten a parchment and quill. She lazily used a summoning spell to teleport these items to her, after a second of delay. The quill clicked as it was dropped on the table, along with the parchment, next to the pile of books.

The cold blue and light green unicorn sat down excitedly and started to read the first book on the stack, a completely random book with some esoteric title, pertaining to the theory behind complicated spell weaving. She spent hours in that small room, quickly devouring the knowledge that the books had to offer, and writing down complex notes and equations down on the long scroll of parchment. She found herself running out of ink after every few minutes, if only she had an assistant to help her with her studies. She had heard that young dragons were good, and pseudodragons would work just as well if you couldn't get a dragon.

Dawn mused about this in her head for a few seconds, leaning over onto the desk. With a noise of fright she bolted back up and started writing furiously, losing herself in her work.

She eagerly finished reading all of the books in her pile, writing down paragraphs of neat, elegant; if scratchy writing. The writing had lines and slashes all over the page, indicating the change to a new book or a different topic.

A yawn seeped out of Dawn's mouth as she stretched out her torso as she twisted around. She flicked her horn lazily and sent the books and quill back to each of their respective places, leaving the parchment with her. She winced as she rolled the parchment into a tight scroll, worrying about smudging the ink on the creamy yellow paper. She pulled a lose string from her mane and wrapped it around the scroll, tying it shut so it wouldn't open by itself.

The trapdoor in the corner flared open with life as Dawn poured her magic into it, pulling it back on its hinges to reveal…

Nothing. Under the trapdoor was solid stone, discolored from age with scuff marks on it, as if someone had been pounding on it hard with something metal. The unicorn scholar grimaced at this before tapping the stone three times with her hoof, her horn glowing as she cast the spell, the air seeming to glow with blue light around the trapdoor, and the stone underneath it.

Suddenly, the stone flashed blue and illuminated the dim room brightly, before fading in and out of transparency, stone losing its opacity, fading away slowly. The large stone slab was still slightly visible, but now was oddly translucent.

Dawn grumbled something to herself about 'inconveniences' and 'nosy ponies that don't know what's good for them' before looking down into the hole under the stone, revealing a long ladder fastened to the hard stone of the earth, leading down into the thick darkness. Dawn sighed and took a gulp of air, then stepped into the transparent stone, sinking down into it like quicksand.

The ladder creaked and groaned as Dawn carefully descended on the rusted ladder bars. She flicked her horn gently, the stone block above hardening visibly, the trapdoor slamming shut with a slam that echoed through the stone back to dawn, making the ladder vibrate.

The solid stone floor clacked as Dawn's hooves touched it, her lithe body reaching the end of the ladder. She turned herself away from the ladder and placed her forelegs in the ground, sighing as her body regained the easy to maintain horizontal balance that came with being a quadruped.

Dawn's eyes closed in concentration, her horn lighting up as the parchment did so as well, the air around her humming with barely contained energy. She suddenly opened her eyes and flicked her horn upwards in a long arc, eyes gleaming as a wall of blue fire shot down the long corridor that was previously pitch-black. The corridor lighting up as the torches mounted on the wall burned with ethereal blue fire.

A gasp escaped her lips as a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. Dawn huffed and walked over to the stone wall, leaning against it and slumping over, exhausted by the magical exertion. The parchment dropped to the stone floor, as she found herself not able to hold it up any longer. She then steadied herself and picked up the parchment, looking down the corridor, a long tunnel of stone, lit by the bright blue radiance that seemed to emit cold malevolence that sucked in more light than it emitted.

Dawn started walking down the stone tunnel, untouched by the malevolence of the unearthly fire. The large square room at the end of the tunnel came into view, lit by the fire, but ominous in its own rights.

The room was a large square room with bookshelves carved into the shale and rock of the walls. The bookshelves were lines with huge hardcover and leatherbound books, organized visually by color and by name.

There were steel grates over the bookshelves with latches over every foot or so, these grates were attached to levers, which were in turn attached to locks; preventing anyone from opening the books without a key. Around the room there were four cardinal doors, counting the tunnel as well. The doors had the same grates over them as well, but they were much sturdier, and had runes etched into the metal. These grates prevented anyone from getting any further into the underground cave dwelling.

Dawn walked over to the door on the right hand side of the cave and pushed the tip of her horn into the lock, the dull lock glowing with runes and symbols as the runes on the door and grate lit up brightly. The lock unlocked with an echoing click, allowing the bars of the door to move past, swinging open with unoiled squeals.

The mage walked through the open door calmly, the door swinging shut and locking behind her, the grate following it. She showed no notice oh this and kept walking, the small square hall leading to another room ahead.

The long and tall rectangular room seemed to brighten at the unicorn's presence. A cage full of birds against the wall suddenly was filling the room with noise as they thrashed about in their large cage, Dawn glaring at the metal cage. She placed the scroll down on a desk at the front of the room; the desk was messily covered in papers and scrolls, with the occasional rock on it.

"Damnation! Be quiet you horrible things! Nasty!" She faltered and sighed, walking over to the bird cage and pulling the tarp covering the cage off. She shot up a hoof and pounded on the cage, making the birds fall silent as they flapped their wings, rustling their feathers.

At the end of the rectangular room there was a huge sheet of plastic cutting a small section of the room off from the rest, air tightly sealed. The plastic had a small door in the corner up against the wall, made of the same material so as to not hide anything behind it. The door had its hinges attached to the stone of the wall, which was layered in flexible plastic. The room was for Dawn's experiments, conferences, and alchemical testing. The plastic was airtight, and supposedly unbreakable to conventional means. The room provided a place for any reactions to happen, just in case poisonous gas was released from the reaction. The ceiling of the experiment room had three metal grates, each one closed and also airtight. These grates led up by small tunnels to the surface, so in the case of toxic waste being produced, Dawn would just open the grates and allow it to float to the surface.

Dawn made a notebook and quill fly over to her from the desk, pulling a small table away from the wall and setting it down in front of her, placing the quill down as she looked through the notebook absentmindedly.

The feathered quill glowed with blue light as Dawn refreshed the scribing charm on it, and opened up the notebook to a new, fresh blank page and set this down on the table next to the quill. Dawn coughed casually as the quill snapped to attention above the page of the note book, Dawn smiling and nodding. She then began to dictate loudly,

"Experiment number three!" Dawn shouted to the quill jovially, it scratching down on the paper with neat lettering and punctuation,

"I have found recently that the amount of energy that any one substance contains is directly relevant to the phase of matter that said substance is in. This fact goes for any type of matter in the known world, living or inanimate. As it is known, there are four phases of matter. I have been able to directly recreate three of the better known phases, but I have not yet been able to create the fourth phase of matter; plasma." Dawn coughed daintily and resumed dictating,

"Usually, the only way to apply energy to a substance directly would be through heat, but seeing as most things are flammable at varying temperatures, this is not the wisest of things to do." She paused, allowing herself to take a breath, and the quill to finish writing.

"I have thusly invented a quite useful spell that can apply or subtract energy, even down to the molecular level. I have not yet been able to go any smaller than that, however. The only drawback of the spell being as how the energy, must come from you, another pony, or the environment to be able to add energy. To subtract energy you must take it into your body. Or use it to power or affect something else. This can be very useful, as one could take energy out of the very air around you, and then power complex spells! Whether it is heat energy or an entirely different form of energy all together!"

A gasp escaped her lips as she breathed deeply, having forgotten to breathe during her long explanation of the spell. The quill used this dead time to finish up the quotes.

"This can be used in a variety of ways if the one using it is creative enough to use the spell. For example, for any life that you give, you can take back at any time. You can heal wounds, but also open them. One could give an opponent a fast growing cancer of the bones by accelerating the rate of bone growth, causing large amounts of pain and discomfort as the bones literally grow out of the skin. The user can also take; you could take away energy from the bones, causing reduced bone strength and density. If the user only allows a small amount to leave, a disease known as osteoporosis can appear, which is the porousness of the bones."

Dawn smirked at herself; this was one of the first uses of the spell. In Canterlot she had stimulated bone growth, and as the only good magical doctor at the time, she had been the one to publicly cure it, giving much need funds and credibility.

"A talented mage could create anything out of seemingly nothing, pulling water vapor out of the very air, and then transfiguring it into the desired object. There is a certain type of cholesterol in the body, from eating processed and other types of foods, by applying energy to this, one can stimulate growth, possibly causing heart failure over an extended period of time." She smiled brightly,

"Helios needs an advanced mage like me; HMH needs more technicians who _fully___understand spell theory, _and_ the sciences behind it. I can offer you this. My unique talent of theories in magic. If you are interested, please send a reply as soon as you are able to."

Dawn finished dictating and ended the scribing spell, pulling a stamp from the desk and stamping an image into the bottom of the paper, five circles of black, white, blue, red, and green arranged in a loose circle. The circles were, in turn, inside of a hollow black circle that had eight branches sprouting forth in all of the cardinal directions. Her emblem, her sign, her talent.

She quickly signed a messy signature at the bottom of the paper and with a burst of blue magic, sent the paper on its way.

The birds screeched in the large cage as Dawn approached it, opening the cage once she got close enough and pulling out a single bird with her magical grip. Dawn opened the plastic door and threw the bird in, who flapped its wings and started flying around the small room. The white bird frantically looked for an opening, occasionally flying at Dawn and slamming into the perfectly clear plastic with a bang, Dawn laughing cruelly.

"Let's do an experiment, shall we?" Dawn asked to the parrot kindly. The bird cheeped loudly as it took on a faint blue glow, Dawn's face with a look of concentration as she looked at the bird and poured magic into it, with a complexity that could not be interrupt-

"Dawn Glimmer! Oh Dawn Glimmer!"

Dawn shrieked in surprise as the bird suddenly exploded in all directions, shooting bony shrapnel at the plastic and stone of the room. What was left of the bird was painted on the plastic, nothing but little chunks and pieces, Dawn palling at the sight of this.

The floor echoed her stomps as she ran out of the room, becoming transparent as she ran through the door and grate, instead of opening it the long way. She glanced around the main room hurriedly, looking for the source of the noise. When suddenly, a pony jumped on top of her from the ceiling, pinning her to the ground and pushing her down.

Dawn struggled against her attacker, groaning as she just stopped struggling after a while, visibly annoyed and frustrated with being pinned to the cold stone floor.

"Get off me Nocturne." Dawn said without a trace of humor.

"Aw! How'd you know that it was me?" The pony identified as Nocturne, groaned.

"Not many would be able to pass through solid stone. Even less so my wards, but I'm surprised you even got this far." Dawn said as she tried to get up, still pinned down, "Now please get off me, I have little to no feeling in my left foreleg. You're very fat."

Nocturne groaned aloud childishly and got up, huffing indignantly, "Me? Fat! How dare you!" She smiled and laughed at Dawn, "You know words don't bug me Dawn." She said.

Dawn stood up wearily and shook herself out, stretching and making her spine crack loudly, "Yeah, I know that." She deadpanned, "You are so immature Nocturne."

"That isn't what you said that one night!" Nocturne teased as Dawn blushed bright red,

"That never happened you little liar! You just make things up to blackmail me! Down here, no pony can hear you scream!" Dawn threatened,

"Yeah, I bet that's what you want me to do." Nocturne threw back as she winked at Dawn, "I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff!"

Dawn just stood there, blushing red as she was too annoyed and embarrassed to say anything back. "That's what I thought, honey." Nocturne purred.

Nocturnal Embrace, a very talent, if slightly insane, mage that had studied along with Dawn in Canterlot. She was very talented, and enjoyed cracking jokes at the worst of moments. She also was the only student able to rival Dawn during their time under the mages of Canterlot. Her talent was magic as well, but not theory like Dawn. She specialized in manipulating what Dawn called, 'natural earth matter' or whatever that meant. She just had an affinity to plants and rocks.

Nocturne had a deep black coat, and a majestic multipurpled mane. Her eyes were a bright bubblegum pink, but she may or may not have done that herself. Nocturne had a slightly muscled body of average size; she was a few centimeters shorter than Dawn, and always complained about this. Her emblem, or cutie mark as she called it, was of a dark blue-green four pointed star. She usually kept her long mane over one shoulder, with her bangs swept to the side.

She usually spent her time messing around, wandering or sleeping, as opposed to getting anything done. She was a free spirit and liked to let things flow as they wanted. Nocturne was generally happy-go-lucky and didn't have a single care about the world around her.

"You know that me and my secretly wanted advances would be worse if I was a lust demon, right? Nocturne asked jovially as she poked at the ground.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Demons do not exist! They are imaginary ponies invented by scared fools who have night terrors of Helheim!" Dawn yelled grouchily.

Nocturne grumbled under her breath and glared at Dawn, before answering in a sickening sweet voice: "Yes Mother. Of course Mother."

Nocturne took a deep breath, "Enough joking around now, I came to visit for a reason. Is there somewhere we can sit and talk? I'm getting very tired of standing around."

Dawn quickly nodded and gestured to the bolted grate to the left, "Of course! Because I have my test room on the right, it would only be logical to put a study room on the left!" She started walking over to the grate and the door, already unlocking it, "It's fully stocked with couches and a few chairs I managed to… 'Acquire.'" She said the last word with a hint of worry.

Nocturne walked up behind Dawn with a concerned look on her face, "Have you been dealing with unsavory characters? You don't need to do all this just to have a place to study; you're always welcome to stay with me."

"No, it's not like that. I feel bad about having so many goods stockpiled here. One of my main reasons for even staying in this backwater town is the stone. I found a little cave and tunnel system that I expanded on. The rest is a massive complex." Dawn looked down and finished unlocking the bolts, putting her horn into the final lock and opening the grate.

The friends walked into the dimly lit room and sprawled out on the nearest couch, facing each other in comfortable positions. They both moved around as they tried to make themselves dents in the couch to lie in.

"What they don't know won't hurt them Dawn!" Nocturne hit the plush couch hard as she said this, "You don't need to hold the weight of the world on your back!"

Dawn sank into the couch at her friend's harsh words, leaning against the back of the couch as she nodded. "Well, I know that. But these ponies are nice! It seems like nothing ever goes wrong in this town!"

A sound of muffled banging came from far away; As Dawn and Nocturne both frowned and looked around quickly. "Nothing bad ever happens here?" Nocturne asked skeptically as the faint echo seemed to grow louder.

"It's just the nosy ponies again. I honestly do not know who keeps doing it. They really want to know what's under my trapdoor though. Only rarely do I sleep in town, I usually end up falling asleep down here."

The darker of the two nodded, "Ah, I get it. Of course they want to know where the magic unicorn goes at night." She scoffed loudly, "Damn mudwalkers probably think you crush up foals and eat them!"

Dawn winced at her language and words and stammered out, "I stopped using terms l-like that! Y-You should too!"

Nocturne stared at her for a moment, and then burst out in hysterical laughter, "You think I'll just stop talking like this? I'll talk how I damn well please!" She grumbled a bit and stopped laughing, "What's with the sudden change of heart?"

The lighter of the pair shuddered slightly, "I was up North and some earth ponies had a grudge… I didn't think they'd do anything!"

Nocturne grabbed Dawn, and pulled her into a tight hug just as she started crying almost silently, "It's okay Dawn! We'll show them, don't worry about it… I'm here for you."

This kept up for a few minutes, as Dawn told Nocturne all of her worries and fears, and Nocturne comforted her. Nocturnal shared her own little stories here and there, but mainly just tried to calm Dawn down.

Dawn hugged Nocturne fiercely as she gradually calmed herself down, blushing red and teary eyed, "I'm sorry for bursting on you like that… It's just that… I didn't know that could happen! They aren't supposed to do those things!"

A deep sigh passed through Nocturne's lips as she nodded, "I know, I know. That they can be dangerous, that they can be deadly. I know."

The banging suddenly renewed itself, Nocturne pricking her ears at the sound, "Are you sure that they can't gen in? Even with all the wards and steel? And the stone?"

Dawn nodded hurriedly, "Yes! Like I've said, they've been trying for weeks, why should they suddenly be able to get in? I have faith in my magic. The wards refresh every few minutes too!"

Nocturne gave a barking laugh, "Okay! I believe you! I get it, oh most powerful mage in all of Equestria!"

Dawn chuckled at the title, blushing mildly, "Oh let's not go that far, "I'm not so full of myself to think myself better than all… Only most."

A smile spread across Nocturnal's face, "Good to see you can still joke, if only you'd take me up on my little offers!"

"In your dreams Nocturnal!" Dawn replied cheerfully as she playfully hit Nocturne, "Anyways, I think that we should get out of here, teleport up to the mountain top. I can show you how beautiful it is up there!"

"No, I needed to say a few more things," She paused and took a breath, "About what's been happing in the real world. Not everything is science and country folk. Things happen."

Dawn blinked, "Like what? I forgot to ask what's been happening recently." She nodded and gestured for Nocturne to talk, then got into a more comfortable position.

"A lot actually. First off, when you went north, then headed west, Nightmare Moon attacked Celestia; and knocked her out of the sky like a meteor!"

"What?!" Seriously? You're not lying or joking? That's insane! I thought that she was purified or something." Dawn gasped loudly.

"No, apparently not. Afterwards Moony and that weird monk fled Canterlot. I saw myself." She rubbed her face with a hoof as she said this.

Dawn shook her head, "Why were you in Canterlot? I thought you hated going there."

Nocturne smiled at this, "There was a wonderful music festival going on that dat. It's an honest shame there's no real musicians anymore though. I'd kill to see a good jazz musician these days, not that horrible synth crap."

Dawn stuck her tongue out mockingly, "Yeah, that's true. I hate the new music. Anything else happen?"

A shiver passed through Nocturne's body, "Oh, you don't have any idea! The skeletons of the dead! Walking around with gems fused to their bones, and knives in their hoofs! They started showing up after Moony disappeared; ponies think that it's her fault, but me? I think that it's Celestia doing it, so she can blame her sister!"

Dawn frowned, "For coming out of your mouth and all, that actually makes some sense. I mean, with Luna out of the picture and everypony hating her, it would be that much easier to take the throne and…" She mumbled off as she mused to herself. "Is that all?"

Nocturnal's laugh echoed around the room as she shook her head, "Always right, aren't we Dawn? Of course that's not all! But I was sure you would have heard by now. Being in love as you are. Damn Helios Mutual-"

"Hey! Helios Mutual Holdings are innovators in their line of work! Defense like you've never even seen!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever floats your boat sugar." Nocturne threw out rudely, "Anyways, there's a rumor floating around that an evil pegasus is taking the company over. But that's as much as I've heard."

The couch squeaked as Dawn sat up, "Now can we go? Oh wait!" Dawn got up hurriedly and groans as her spine cracked. She grumbled and lit up her horn, the air besides her glowing as a black rip in space appeared, Dawn biting her lip, trying to keep it open.

"Is that…?"

Dawn looked smug as she pulled the gemstone out telekinetically and closed the rip, "A null space? Yes actually, and one of my own invention."

Nocturne's face contorted with surprise, "Dawn Glimmer! I knew that you were good at what you do, but not that good! Good job! Honestly! There's no way I could even sustain a null zone! Much less create one!"

Dawn set the gem down on the nearest table carefully, "Enough about me, have you ever seen one of these before?" She asked quizzically.

There was a short flash of light as Nocturne suddenly appeared next to Dawn, as she started poking and prodding at the gem with hoof and horn alike, the gem glowing as she focused on it. She took a sharp breath and looked at Dawn.

"Where did you get this? Steal it from Celestia?" She barked a laugh, "This is a cousin of the Voltaic Topaz. It's an amazing magical conductor, amping up your spells and enchantments greatly. It also would reduce casting strain, so you could cast a lot more than normal. Say, if you cut it, and made a set of jewelry out of it with hardening enchantments on it, along with a slew of magic adding ones. You would not only have near-unbreakable jewelry, it would also increase your casting potency even without the enchantments. So imagine the possibilities!" Nocturne shut her eyes and smiled modestly, "Oh the possibilities…"

Dawn looked at the gem with a hard look in her eyes, "Would you mind doing some research for me? I need to know more about this gem. It was very hard to come by." She grimaced slightly, "I'll give you a sample to test on, and I need basic information as well as health facts. I don't want it around me if it's poisonous and radioactive."

"Yes, yes, got it. I will get to work on the research when I get back home. I'll be staying up north if you need me. Not far north, but far enough. You get it, right?"

Dawn nodded quickly, "Yes. I do." Her horn lit up as she tapped it against the gem, a small piece falling off with a clinking noise as Dawn went over to a desk. "I need a bag to put it in, I hope you don't mind it being wrapped in an Alkaline Earth."

"No, I know how you are with wrapping things in magic repelling substances. It's fine." Nocturne said as she kept poking at the gem, "I'll need compensation, you of all ponies should know I don't just do work for free."

A slight rumpled sound filled the air as Dawn walked over to the table with a bag on her back, before she put the shard in it and handed it over. "Of course, same as usual then? You know I wouldn't just give away this gem to you. Not even a little." She laughed, "I'll just melt down a hunk of ore and send it over guarded flight."

Nocturne nodded slightly, caught up in examining the gem, "Usual stuff? No thanks, I need things for testing, not wealth. I need one gram of Lithium, two grams of Radium, some Cobalt; but Nickel if you don't have any. Then I need three grams of Arsenic, two grams of Phosphorus, preferably red, then Chlorine, but Fluorine if you don't have any. I would like them pure, and preferably solid."

A surprised look passed over Dawn's face, "Wow, that's a lot to ask for. You're really going to do that much? Or is what you're going to do very strange?"

The darker pony looked up from the gem, "Both almost. I plan on mapping the traits of the gem for you and all that. I also need to restock my supply of semi poisonous research materials. Go figure? Just be glad I didn't ask for any hydrogen, I know how you are around it."

Dawn looked aghast, "I swear! That gas is out to get me! One electron my arse! It seems like all it wants to do is ionize and blow me up!"

"Hmm." Nocturne looked puzzled, "Are you sure you're using the right isotope? Only high electron levels lead to ion charges. What are you up to that uses that much negative charge?"

The floor clicked as Dawn stomped, "Nothing! That's why I hate hydrogen! I wasn't working with charges!" She almost shouted in dismay.

"Shut up you paranoid girl." Nocturnal joked, "I need to leave now, "I'll be done in a few months. Don't mail me except for my payment, and do you have anything to make my fast traveling easier?"

Dawn's eyes rolled in though as she peered around the room, "Nothing in here, but I could dig around and find some silver and charge it for you. For a price though, I won't be free if you don't"

Nocturne scoffed, "Playing my game? I don't think so. I have enough work set out for me as it is." She paused then blinked and pulled herself away from the gem, "Be good okay? I'd hate to hear of something happening." She said worriedly as she gave Dawn a quick hug.

"I'll be fine. I'm going to be busy for the next while or so too."

"Good! Well, okay sweetie! See you next time!" She smiled and mad a kissy face before laughing and kissing Dawn, then teleporting in a bright shower of sparks.

A scowl grew on Dawn's face as she rubbed at her mouth, "Bleh, stupid Nocturne and her confused little antics." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, concentrating. With a flash and a loud pop she appeared in a different room. The room was brightly lit with no door or grate, and contained a hospital bed with a large amount of medical tools. She sighed and trotted over to the bed, getting in it and lying down as she cast a spell.

She teleported the gem to her and put it on the table next to the bed, groaning as she slumped back into the bed. She flashed her horn and grit her teeth silently. A moment later, two white and red eyed Pegasi walked in slowly, their bodies glowing with faint purple light.

"I want you to talk this gem and cut it into twelve pieces, circles. Keep the rest intact, and treat the gem with utmost care. I am not to be disturbed, understood?"

The white ponies both mumbled some strange language quietly in agreement, one flying over and taking the gem, while the other watched passively. They then flew out of the room, and pulled a sheet over the doorframe from outside.

Dawn smiled and breathed deeply, settling into the bed. "Time to test out this little spell, not sure what it does just yet, but I don't care!" She laughed loudly and lit up her horn.

Quickly, the sound of buzzing filled the room, as Dawn's horn started to fill the room in light. Pulses of energy flared along the length, pushing the air around and dissipating at the tip of her horn. Dawn suddenly flicked her horn up with a shout, light bursting out and filling up the room, wrapping around her tightly.

As the spell took effect, Dawn closed her eyes tight. She soon relaxed, her body going limp, as the lights in the room flickered, flared, and went out suddenly. She was cast into darkness, and Dawn soon fell into a deep, a dark and all-consuming sleep.


End file.
